In$-$Class Activity $15-1$: Advertising objectives and kinds of advertising

Introduction

It is claimed that back in the $1800$s$,$ Philadelphia retailer John Wanamker said, $$Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don$$t know which half.$$ Today, there are many business executives who share Mr$.$ Wanamker$$s feelings. Billions of dollars are spent each year creating clever$$and sometimes annoying$$ads which often appear to be poorly designed and largely ineffective.

Actually, because companies often lack clearly defined advertising objectives, it is extremely difficult to measure the effectiveness of advertising. In hopes of remaining competitive, advertisers often budget some fixed percent of their sales dollars to advertising without any specific objectives in mind$$other than to just "promote the product."

Like all business expenditures, however, there is no reason for making advertising expenditures unless the company has some specific purpose in mind. Since the advertising objectives selected will largely determine the kind of advertising that is needed, companies should set specific advertising objectives that are tied to their overall marketing strategies.

Assignment

This exercise will give you some practice determining the kind of advertising that may be needed to obtain some specific advertising objectives. Described below are several situations in which some kind of advertising may be necessary or desirable. For each situation:

a$)$ indicate what general $($i$.$e$.,$ inform, persuade, and$/$or remind$)$ and specific objectives the advertising probably could be meant to achieve; and

b$)$ indicate which of the following kinds of advertising would be most appropriate to accomplish that objective

$$ Institutional $$ promotes an organization$$s image, reputation, or ideas rather than a specific product.

$$ Pioneering $$ tries to develop primary demand for a product category rather than demand for a specific brand.

$$ Competitive $$ tries to develop selective demand for a specific brand

o Direct competitive $$ aims for immediate buying action.

o Indirect competitive $$ points out product advantages to affect future buying decisions.

$$ Comparative $$ making specific brand comparisons using actual product names.

$$ Reminder $$ tries to keep the product$$s name before the public

$1.$ A print ad shows an insurance adjuster with a clipboard in hand watched by a family with grateful expressions on their face. The only "copy" is a single line: "You're in good hands with Allstate."

$2.$ Print advertisements for a producer of designer clothing simply feature the designer's "brand name" and a picture of scantily clad models frolicking in romantic situations.

$3.$ Enterprise Rent$-$A$-$Car uses testimonials from satisfied customers to differentiate itself from competing car rental services. In particular, it promotes its service of delivering a car to you$$at home, at the office, or on vacation. Its slogan says, "Pick Enterprise. We'll pick you up$."$

$4.$ In an attempt to reposition its high performance multimedia, laptop computers towards the higher end of the market, Toshiba's print ads include a table comparing product benefits of its multimedia laptops with features and service of IBM and Apple laptop computers.

$5.$ Charter Hospitals' radio advertisement describes the symptoms and serious consequences of depression, and explains that most health insurance policies cover treatment for this condition. At the end, the ad gives a toll free number for Charter as the announcer encourages the friends and families of depressed people to "seek help today, even if not from Charter."

$6.$ For several decades Texaco has sponsored broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera House on classical music stations. Since many of the stations are public radio stations, there are no formal "pitches" for individual products, but the host uses the line: "You can trust your car to the man with the Texaco star.

$7.$ The metropolitan transportation district receives a grant from the coalition of local governments to advertise bus services to promote clean air by switching commuters from single occupancy cars. Billboards and TV time are too expensive, so the bus company uses the money to purchase placard ads inside its own buses. The copy says: "Save gas$$take the bus!"

$8.$ British Airways in Hong Kong uses print advertisements that feature one of four Chinese flight attendants and builds on the airline's image as "global and caring in the eyes of Chinese consumers." The emphasis is on its people, not its product or fares.

$9.$ A print advertisement for Rolls Royce automobiles features an attractive couple driving a Rolls convertible in front of New York's Plaza hotel. The driver of a Mercedes sedan looks on and there is also a Lincoln in the background. The ad copy is a single line: "Simply the best motor car in the world."

Bonus Question:

How would you judge the effectiveness of ads with each objective? B